Sloppy Piloting
by sapereaude13
Summary: ...But you’re a Princess. Surely when you were ill as a child you had a thousand servants to wipe your nose and make you soup. I’m just trying to do the same thing. Minus the nose wiping, naturally... BalthierAshe. Fluff.


The fire crackled a few feet away, but she was freezing. Ashe huddled inside the blanket and frowned, her eyes focused on the yellow flames. The smoke tickled, and she resisted the urge to wipe her nose like a little girl in front of her companions. The Princess hated being sick, especially now. The Feywood was still so far off, and the mountain air of the Highwaste was more frigid than she remembered. They would be in the Estersand by the end of tomorrow, and she did not want to hold the others back. The rest sat just out of her earshot, as she had insisted on some privacy. She wasn't the most pleasant when she was ill, so she figured she was doing them all a favor.

Everyone else seemed to be chatting casually, but she sat alone, her teeth chattering and her head feeling as if it weighed a solid ton. The ground was hard beneath her, and she was not eager to lay down on it any time soon. She sighed and watched the embers pop, begging the flames with her mind to warm her. The soft light of the fire was blocked by a dark shadow then, and she could not prevent a rather whiny moan from escaping her then. She heard a chuckle emerge from the shadow, and she lifted her head.

"You look terrible."

She smiled as he sat beside her. "For someone who prides himself on his charm, I am a bit disappointed in you, Balthier."

The sky pirate handed her a cup filled with something warm. "I figured you'd prefer honesty over charm in your current condition, Princess."

She sniffed the contents of the cup and could not identify what it was. "Planning to poison me and run off with all the gil?"

He laughed again and waved his hand. "Nonsense. Just drink it. Penelo made it for you, so I don't think she has any reason to poison her future queen." She sipped the drink, and it tasted bitter, but it immediately began to warm her.

Balthier sat cross-legged and rested his hands on his knees. "But to think that I would do such a thing to you? I am shocked and appalled by your insinuation. I gave up a thrilling conversation about airship engines with Vaan to come attend to you in your time of need. I must say that I am rather amused by your little self-imposed quarantine zone."

She took another sip of the concoction and frowned. "I don't want to make anyone else ill, that's all. Thanks for the drink." She held the cup back out to him, hoping he would just leave her alone. They didn't need to see her like this.

He shook his head. "Finish it, Doctor Penelo's orders." She grumbled and brought the cup back to hold it in her lap. "You do realize how ridiculous you look with that enormous blanket, right? It's such a beautiful night!"

The sky pirate apparently found her illness a great source of entertainment, and she held the cup tightly to prevent herself from throwing it in his teasing face. "I'm sick, Balthier. I'm cold and my head hurts. Can't you just leave me alone?" she muttered.

But he still wouldn't go away. "I'm trying something new, Princess. It's called empathy. Just let me be coddling, will you?"

Ashe drank the rest of the cup's contents and threw it back at him. "I do not require coddling."

He snorted and set the cup down on the ground in front of him. "But you're a Princess. Surely when you were ill as a child you had a thousand servants to wipe your nose and make you soup. I'm just trying to do the same thing. Minus the nose wiping, naturally."

She looked at him sideways and sighed, pulling the blanket tighter around her. "I am not a child now. And I'm going to make you sick, and that will only delay us further. I just need some peace."

Penelo and Basch approached then, apparently on their way to rest for the night. The girl picked up the cup from the ground. "I'm sorry if it was bitter, Ashe. I didn't have all the best ingredients," Penelo apologized.

She smiled up at her as best she could. "It was a great help, thank you." The girl nodded and headed off, Fran and Vaan joining her on the way to the tents. She caught Basch and Balthier exchanging sly grins, and she groaned. "What? What am I missing?"

The captain crossed his arms and looked down at her sternly. "You need to rest, Highness. You do not look so well."

"Basch, I am sick, but I am not yet tired. Please, get some rest yourself. I can take care of myself."

Again, the knight and the sky pirate exchanged a significant glance. "Will you please attend to the Princess?" Basch asked him, and Ashe opened her mouth to protest, but the knight shook his head. "Do not think I am so forgetful, Your Highness. I remember the year of the Ozmone flu, and I'll not have you spend this time alone. Good night." Without another word, Basch turned around and was gone.

She pulled the blanket over her head and just let her face peek out. Balthier was grinning beside her, and she wondered if she should retire for the night just to get away from him. "The Ozmone flu? What is Basch talking about?" he asked, barely concealed joy in his voice.

The Princess groaned at the memory. "When I was eleven, the Ozmone flu hit Rabanastre. I caught it, and I would not come out of my room for a month. I did not want to make anyone sick."

"A month?! Ozmone flu runs its course in three or four days at most!"

"Yes, I know that! I was being careful…"

"A month, Ashe. A month of your life…gone, sitting in your room! Although, I'm very sure that you had everything you needed there given your social position."

The corners of her mouth quirked up a bit. "They brought food up to my balcony on a ladder. One of the servants tried to pull me out of the room, but I…I kicked the poor man until he set me back in my chamber. 'I'll infect you!' I screamed, 'I'll infect you!'"

"You _kicked_ him? Should I sit a few paces away to be safe?" he teased.

She shook her head. "I don't feel well enough to kick you, Balthier."

"Oh, so you would kick me with no remorse otherwise?"

She looked down and could not conceal the grin that was spreading across her face. He was surprisingly skilled at his new empathy routine. She was feeling a little less miserable with him there after all. She felt good enough to play along. "Maybe…if you deserved it."

He patted the top of her head, his hand ruffling the blanket. "Oh, I'm sure I've done plenty to deserve a good kick from you."

She scowled. "Don't pat my head."

"Or what? You'll kick me?" She laughed at his response, but a sudden breeze drifted through the camp, bringing on a new wave of shivers for her. Her fingers latched back onto the blanket tightly, and she shut her eyes and clenched her jaw. He chuckled at her again. "Would you come here already?"

Ashe opened her eyes and turned to look at him. He had the arm nearer to her extended, his hand gesturing for her to move close to his side. "What?"

"You're freezing. Get over here."

"I don't see how that is remotely appropriate," she retorted. How long had he been waiting for Basch to turn in for the night? Was this his motive all along? Some niggling part of her was slightly embarrassed at the attention. And then another part…it was definitely her illness playing tricks on her.

"I'm not coming on to you if that's what you're implying, Princess," he argued with a smirk. She felt a blush creep into her cheeks despite her cold, and he smiled. "Unless that's what you'd prefer?"

"No, of course not," she responded far too quickly. "As I said before, I do not want you to catch my illness."

"You aren't plague-ridden, Ashe. You have the sniffles," he countered and scooted into her personal space. He dared to place his arm around her shoulder and began rubbing some warmth into her arm. "The Captain said to 'attend to the Princess' and that is what I am doing. Besides, there is a very amusing barrier between my hand and your royal person, so don't get all uppity with me."

He was right, and he didn't do anything inappropriate, merely trying to warm her with his hand. "Thank you, Balthier," she mumbled. She was already feeling warmer, and the sensation felt wonderful. "I just don't want you to get sick…" He continued to move his hand up and down her arm, and she closed her eyes to enjoy the feeling.

"See, Princess? Coddling isn't so bad," he remarked a few minutes later.

"Mmm-hmm," was all she could muster, and she was feeling a bit sleepy. The repetitive motion of his strong hand was relaxing, and she felt herself lean sideways to rest her blanket-covered head against him. If she wasn't careful, she was going to fall asleep there. But it felt so wonderful. What was in that drink Penelo made? It was making her so drowsy…

Balthier started talking again, but she didn't listen to the words he was saying as much as she just enjoyed the low tone of his voice. It sounded like he was muttering jibberish anyhow. She heard him start listing names of what she guessed were airship models, then a detailed explanation of what changes he had made to the Strahl, and then he launched into an argument against automatic navigation systems. She heard him say it was "sloppy piloting," but as he continued to chat, she felt herself begin to drift in and out. Ashe figured that Balthier mostly enjoyed the sound of his own voice and didn't necessarily require a captivated audience for his ramblings. She smiled, wondering if Fran tuned him out like she was doing right then.

She was so calm that when he slid his hand beneath the blanket to rub the bare skin of her arm, she didn't mind at all. In fact, she felt herself lean closer, loosening the grip she had on the blanket. He was so comfortable, and she let an arm fall across his chest to hug him close, the scent of him as soothing as the feeling of his fingers dancing across her arm. Gods, he was still talking! "No more…no more airships…please, Balthier," she mumbled quietly, her hand leaving his chest to fumble at his face. She finally found his mouth and clumsily pressed her hand over it. "Please…just be quiet…"

His hand stilled against the skin of her arm, and his other one pulled hers away from his face. She felt him press a gentle kiss against her palm, and he picked her up, blanket and all in one fluid motion. "I bet you have a lot of…experience doing…sweeping women off their…" The sentences formed in her head, but they came out rather jumbled.

"Fran's turn to watch you," he whispered in her ear as he carried her. He called quietly for his partner when they arrived, but she did not remember being put down, only feeling the blanket being tucked around her all of a sudden and the feeling of the ground under her back. It had not been sloppy piloting on Balthier's part. The Viera's hands were larger and colder than Balthier's, and she felt disappointed.

"Fran…have to kick him…tomorrow…you remind…okay?" she heard herself mumble, and she was gratified to hear a quiet sound of assent from the Viera. Her head felt lighter than it had before.

That night she dreamt of airships, and somehow, she knew the name of every one.


End file.
